The Hedge Wizard

Hump climbed the slope from the dock up to the stone platform, Bud and Emilia with him. Warlock bodies lay in heaps on the ground and the walkway, blood pooling around them. Their expression appeared relaxed in death, the contorted faces so many warlocks gained after becoming corrupted by their powers returning to their human form. There were a few of their own amongst the dead too, soldiers that Hump didn’t know the names of. A handful more were injured and receiving medical attention.

His eyes went up to the giant hole in the roof, jagged where Hump had caused its collapse. He wondered if things would have gone differently if he’d brought down more of the roof. He’d specifically targeted the stone platform, but perhaps he should have tried to collapse the entire chamber. If he had, maybe these people wouldn’t have died.

Or maybe I would have sealed us off from the chamber and the warlocks would have continued with their spell, Hump thought.

There was no changing it now.

Bud sheathed his sword and let out a long sigh.

Hump felt a pang of guilt. “The plan failed. I’m sorry.”

“What?” Bud asked, shaking his head. “This wasn’t your fault. You stopped the spell, that was the objective, and on top of that you threw them into panic.”

Emilia nudged him with her shoulder. “He’s right. There was no predicting the greater demon. This is a good result.”

Hump gave a stoic nod, forcing his eyes away from the fallen troops. This was war, and there were always casualties. He caught a concerned look from Celaine and gave her a helpless look and slight shrug. He knew her opinion on his overthinking already.

He joined Inquisitor Hartlen, Sir Darian, and Dylan on the stone platform. The scent of blood was thick and sticky in the air here. Even after all this time, the smell still put Hump on edge, calling upon some primal instinct that screamed out in wrongness.

“And these ones,” Inquisitor Hartlen said, directing a pair of unlucky soldiers to drag bodies off the spell formation inscribed upon the stone platform. “We need to see the entire thing.”

“What do you make of it?” Dylan asked. “It’s the same language as the magic the warlocks used in Sheercliff as far as I can tell.”

Hump’s eyes trailed the harsh channels on the ground, weaved together in a complicated pattern of runes drawn in blood. The markings incorporated the hard, jagged style Hump was familiar with from Prince Kassius and the other warlocks. This one in particular was intricate work. The main caster was a person of great skill, and by Hump’s guess, not one of the warlocks left in control of the spell once they’d arrived. While they’d had a few decent spellcasters amongst them, they were a relatively weak contingent compared to the force Hump knew the warlocks to possess.

Around the edge of the stone platform were a few tools: wooden bowls stained with the blood they’d once held; sharp knives with handles made of bone; a whip with many small, sharpened spikes on the end; and a paintbrush, clotted with blood up to the ferrule.

“Looks like it,” Hump said. “I would need to compare it to some of the other formations we’ve seen to confirm.”

“So this is an attack by the same warlocks that attacked Sheercliff City?” Inquisitor Hartlen asked.

Hump glanced at his party in confusion and then back to the woman. “Were you unaware of the connection?”

“We’ve been working under the presumption that we are dealing with demon worshippers. A cult of human followers to carry out their evil commands in our world.”

Interesting, Hump thought. Wizard Aldric and Inquisitor Sarielle were certainly not so misinformed, which meant that information in the Inquisition was not being freely distributed. Perhaps they were trying to keep the idea of a large-scale warlock attack on Alveron secret while it was still just a theory.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions for now,” Hump said, trying to backtrack out of his awkward position. “I’m hardly well-versed on the subject of warlock magic. I’m sure there are inquisitors that will be able to make an informed decision on the matter.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

A deep, resonating pulse thrummed in the air, silencing them. The sound made Hump’s soul quiver. The sound came again, and he looked to the artifact, bobbing slowly up and down where it floated above the stone platform. Beneath it was a large, red heartstone, pulsing with essence. It was impossible for Hump to tell whether it was floating due to the spell, the heartstone, or because of a natural trait possessed by the artifact. Either way, it made for an impressive sight.

The artifact was almost perfectly spherical and taller than a person. Veins bulged across its fleshy surface, pulsing with luminescent blood beneath a tight layer of skin. There was a sheen to the skin, making it appear slightly metallic.

“Has your Inquisition seen anything like this, Inquisitor Hartlen?” Hump asked.

“Not as far as I’m aware. This is beyond anything I know of that the warlocks have brought into the fortress so far. I can’t even guess at what it does.”

Examining it, Hump frowned. He certainly had a few guesses. Assuming it was floating on its own, that demonstrated incredible magical power. The essence pulsing through it and the strange, soul rending thrum both supported that idea.

Walking around to the other side, Hump stepped out of sight of Inquisitor Hartlen and activated Spirit Sight. Thick miasma clouded his vision, almost as red as the fog he’d seen while the spell formation was active. It poured from the artifact in swaths, black smoke rising with it, dark and menacing. It seeped out, spreading up through the roof.

Suddenly, Hump felt a tug. The edges of his vision became blurred, until all he saw was the artifact before him.

It dragged him forward. Screaming, Hump dropped his staff and raised both hands to catch himself on its surface only, it didn’t hold. His hands pierced straight through, disappearing within as if falling through water. The surface pulled him tighter, shimmering skin rising up his arms like quicksilver, swallowing him up. Behind him, he heard shouts, but the same deep thrum as before drowned them out, ringing in his head, a sonorous vibration that seeped through into his bones.

Cold pierced him painfully, lancing up his arms and stabbing to the core of his being. He tried to pull back, but the surface only got closer, until even his face was swallowed up, leaving only black.

Sound bombarded him in an incomprehensible din. He looked around frantically, the darkness slowly changing to red as the sounds became louder and more discernible. Screams, shouts, and cries surrounded him. He caught glimpses of shadows moving in the red. At first, they could have been anything, but then he picked out shapes that he couldn’t have imagined: the head of a beast, long, sharp claws, smouldering red eyes.

He was in the Red Fog, surrounded by monsters. The tug continued to grow, penetrating deeper. Intent filled the fog like a force, driving him to famished hunger. In the distance, he smelled something deliciously sweet and savoury, urging him to seek it out. Hump’s dragon blood roared, and he stumbled toward it before he could think. With an act of will and focus, he refused to move another step. He breathed deeply, envisioning the River and Waves, throwing all doubts to those waters as he mastered his urges and forced himself to think.

Turning from the smell, he peered deeper into the fog. There, he sensed a welling power. He heard the thrum resonate in his mind, pulsing with energy, and stepped toward it. The red grew thicker and more opaque, until it was like a wall before him, but he pressed on. Deeper and deeper, until light no longer reached him. There, in an abyss of darkness, Hump caught a glimpse of a flickering shadow in the shape of a person. Its body formed of scribbled lines, towered into the sky in elongated streaks, taller than any building Hump had laid eyes on. Perhaps even taller than the Great Tree.

He had only ever seen such a thing once, in the depths of Bledsbury Dungeon after he had burned Prince Kassius to ashes. A portal had opened, and a figure just like this one had stepped out, turning everything grey and bringing the world to a stop.

The riftwalker. For a moment, he wondered if it was the same titan, Baelkor, that he had seen looming beyond the rift in the Tree of Damnation atop Sheercliff. Or perhaps it was another of Uvdar’s servants. The being started to turn, the entire world trembling at its movement, warping the darkness into twisting lines, distorting the shape of the figure.

Before Hump could think, he felt something on his shoulders. Pain flared as he was yanked back, then a hard edge gripped him around the stomach and heaved, hauling him back. His stomach lurched as he fell upon something solid, a metal crunch beneath him. Rolling over, he propped himself up on his arms and dry heaved. His lungs were on fire, yet at the same time desperate for air. He felt like he’d been drowning.

Celaine knelt at his side, resting a hand on his back. Hearing the clink of metal at his side, Hump looked over to Bud fumbling to his feet—it had been his armour he’d felt around his waist. The knight’s face was pale as a ghost.

“You alright?” Hump asked.

Bud snorted. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s you we’re worried about. Thought we’d lost you for a moment there.”

Hump drew in a deep breath, feeling exhausted. “I’ll be alright, thanks. Forget about me. We’ve got work to do. Celaine, help me up, would you?”

“You sure you don’t need a minute?” she asked. “You look like you might pass out.”

He shook his head and held out a hand. She grabbed it, pulling him to his feet. He winced, his body twinging all over, as if he’d just finished a long run. Slowly, he waddled over to where he’d dropped his staff, picking it up, cautious of the artifact trying to grab him again.

“What happened to you in there?” Dylan asked.

“I examined it with a spell, which is what I think caused it to target me. Its touch was like ice, and within I saw the Red Fog—felt the pull it has on the monsters, driving them to insanity with hunger for humans. And I caught a glimpse of some great power fuelling it.”

“This power, can you describe it?” Inquisitor Hartlen asked.

“A being of shadow,” Hump said. “I only saw it for a moment. Sorry.”

“You’ve confirmed that this is the artifact connected to the Red Fog,” the inquisitor said. “That’s more than enough. Our objective here is complete. Hopefully, the fighting will soon come to an end above.”

“What do we do with this artifact?” Emilia asked. “We can’t just leave it here, can we?”

“Whatever it is, it’s too powerful for us to make decisions on,” Hump said.

“Yes, it must be brought to the attention of High Command,” Bud said. “Sir Darian, would you take a message to them and inform them of the situation. I’m sure they’ll be most pleased to hear that a greater demon has fallen too.”

“Of course, Sir Robert,” the man said. “I’ll seek them out right away.” He gave a curt nod to them and turned, heading back toward the surface as quickly as he could.

Hump was just pleased he was no longer beholden to such people. As a silver ranked adventurer, he was above petty nobles and weak officers.

“Inquisitor Hartlen, what will you do now?” Hump asked.

“My orders are complete,” Inquisitor Hartlen said. “I would remain here with my people to guard the artifact until support arrives.”

“We’ll secure the area and make sure there aren’t any warlocks or demons still down here,” Bud said. “After that, we must leave. I need to return to my company.”

“My thanks,” the inquisitor said. She turned to her people, beginning to order around those under her command.

Hump and the rest of his party descended the slope to where the greater demon lay dead on the ground. They gazed down the long dark tunnel it had appeared from.

“Right, let’s get this over with,” Bud said, striding forward. “I want to be out of here quickly. If the Temple of Sanctum is under attack, they may yet need us.”

The tunnel was shorter than the one that brought them here. Quickly, they came to a round chamber carved out with magic, the smooth walls a clear sign of its use. The entire room was devoted to a single spell formation. Immediately, Hump spotted similarities to a summoning spell. Runes beyond the main circle indicated a connection to a place beyond this world.

“This is a summoning spell,” Dylan said, pointing out the same feature that drew Hump’s eye.

Hump squatted down and studied the many runes, looking over the complex design. It was far from the complexity of the spell formation in the other room, but it no doubt required a powerful wizard to create such a thing.

Wizard or demon, Hump wondered. Just how far does their alliance go?

After a few minutes, his spellbook shook at his hip. Taking it out, he opened it to see the spell formation taking form. While the runes were just as alien on these pages as they were on the floor of the chamber, the title made one thing clear.

SPELLBOOK

Infernal Gateway

Unknown | Formation | Unknown | Unknown

Description

Unknown

“I don’t think this is just a summoning ritual,” Hump said, interpreting the spell name. “I think this is a gateway that leads in both directions. The warlocks may have a way of connecting directly to the Infernal Halls.”

“Gods give us strength,” Bud said.

“If it’s a two-way gateway, they may still be able to access it from the other side,” Dylan said.

“Is that possible?” Emilia asked.

“No idea,” he said. “I know someone who might know though. Katia is a Chosen of Vesta. We should have her take a look once the battle is over.”

“Katia as in your girlfriend?” Hump asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“No reason.” Hump grinned. “Just excited to meet her.”

Hump was about to put his book away when it shook again. He turned it to the next page, another spell formation taking form—the one that surrounded the artifact in the other room. Only… the lines twisted out of shape. The runes became scribbles, the intent and detail lost. Ink spilled over the page, revealing nothing but jumbled lines.

Suddenly, the spellbook snapped shut. Hump was taken aback. He tried to open it, finding the Infernal Gateway spell. He turned to the next page, then the next, but found nothing but other spells and magical studies.

“What just happened?” Celaine asked.

“I don’t know,” Hump said. “But I think my book doesn’t want to show me the spell in the other room.”